Another step in the right direction
Date published: 01 March 2011
RUGBY LEAGUE: A LATE wobble could not prevent Waterhead picking up a third win from four in National Conference League Division Two.
The 20-18 home triumph over Crosfields was not as straightforward as it could and should have been — the Peach Road side were leading 20-6 in the second half — but coach Garry Highton was at least able to plot improvements with the comfort of two more points in the bag.
Prop Danny Knight, scrum-half Dale Lowe, Matthew Barran at centre and Craig Highton in the second row all had good games for the home team.
Waterhead started strongly with tries from Lowe (two) and Highton, plus three Terry Fitzgerald goals, making it 18-0.
Anthony Johnson pulled back a try which Jack Reid converted, but when Fitzgerald added a penalty goal after the break, there appeared no danger of a comeback.
After a player from each side received a yellow card, Crosfields gave themselves a chance with tries from Ben Thompson and Johnson, Reid and Liam Walsh converting before the visitors had Matthew Pit sent off.
ECCLES pulled off a shock 40-30 win at Oldham St Anne’s in Division One.
Greg Worrall gave Saints the perfect start, registering the first of his hat-trick of tries from a Jordan White pass, with the creator kicking the conversion.
Christian Higgins responded with Mike Carney adding a goal, and after Saints’ Connor Karren was sin-binned, Eccles took control at 18-6 thanks to touch downs from Andrew Muscat and Mike Forgeham. Carney added a conversion and a penalty.
Tries from Andy Sands and White — the latter set up by Worrall in a reverse of the opening score — plus two White goals brought the hosts level after half-an-hour, with Carney’s penalty goal the only thing separating the teams at half-time.
While Alex Eyres, David Cookson and Chris Worth worked hard in the St Anne’s back row, along with hooker Eric Johnson, too many handling errors and a large penalty count proved costly for Mick Cashin’s men.
Two minutes after the break, Carney converted his own try and Richard Openshaw crossed to take the game away from St Anne’s.
Worrall responded with his second try, converted by White, before Muscat completed his hat-trick with a further pair of un-goaled tries.
With time running out, Cookson forced his way over for the home team, with White again adding the conversion, before Carney landed his sixth goal of the afternoon for a well-deserved win for the previously bottom-of-the-table side.
SADDLEWORTH Rangers’ home third-round tie with Siddal in the BARLA National Cup was postponed once again due to a waterlogged pitch at Shaw Hall Bank Road. No new date has yet been set.
